View Full Version : USMC boot camp graduation present
Bill Bryant
08-27-10, 09:53
My son graduates from MCRD San Diego in four weeks.
This question is mainly for Marines, but others are welcome to chime in too.
What should this father give his son at boot camp graduation?
A Randall 17. Just my opinion, of course.
time with his hometown plaything with bouncies..
I'm not sure what the highly regimented nature of a USMC unit would permit, regarding gear. But I wouldn't suggest a heavy pricey custom knife that could walk off & be seldom used. I think the most used items I have are: mechanix coyote colored gloves, new multitool with the clip on feature & petzl headlamps Tactikka or the new one with the seperate red LED. For the love of all things holy.. please do not buy one of the POS 3 point slings they sell in the MCRD exchange.
Bill Bryant
08-27-10, 10:50
What about something like this?
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w36/ttkt57/traserP6500.jpg
Had one, plastic bezel popped off. and Tritium watches not cool in a NIght Vision enviornment
Best watch ever: G-shock, DW5600MS-1 nightvision friendly, and all the tools you'd need, stopwatch, countdown.. and alarm
Bill Bryant
08-27-10, 12:44
Had one, plastic bezel popped off. and Tritium watches not cool in a NIght Vision enviornment
Best watch ever: G-shock, DW5600MS-1 nightvision friendly, and all the tools you'd need, stopwatch, countdown.. and alarmSo how would the G-shock go over as a graduation present? I googled it and it seemed like I nice tool, like a nice toothbrush or hammer, but maybe not "cool" enough to seem like a meaningful gift to mark becoming a Marine. I might slip him one casually, but maybe not ceremonially, if that makes sense. Your thoughts?
My parents got me a Tag Heuer Link for my colllege graduation. It is by far my most cherished posession.
I think a nice watch would be an awesome gift!
To me, a long lasting, high quality time peice shows that it was a gift they want me to have use of for a long long time, and everytime I look at it I think of how proud they were of me the day I got my diploma. Best gift ever!
So how would the G-shock go over as a graduation present? I googled it and it seemed like I nice tool, like a nice toothbrush or hammer, but maybe not "cool" enough to seem like a meaningful gift to mark becoming a Marine. I might slip him one casually, but maybe not ceremonially, if that makes sense. Your thoughts?
I would have to agree with you. A G-Shock is a nice watch, and I hope I am not being a pretentious prick here, but I don't think a $150 watch is an appropriate gift for someone as they become a Marine.
Bill Bryant
08-27-10, 13:14
My parents got me a Tag Heuer Link for my colllege graduation. I looked at the price tag on one of those. You and my son must have grown up in different zip codes. That's out of my league.
jklaughrey
08-27-10, 15:12
My dad got me a bottle of Macallans scotch and a box of Gloria Cubana cigars. Anyways, get something you know your son appreciates or enjoys. You know him best and what ever you get him he will enjoy it, as long as it comes from the heart. Best gift ever I got was from my Granddad when he shook my hand and looked me in the eyes as an equal...a man.
theblackknight
08-27-10, 15:14
So how would the G-shock go over as a graduation present? I googled it and it seemed like I nice tool, like a nice toothbrush or hammer, but maybe not "cool" enough to seem like a meaningful gift to mark becoming a Marine. I might slip him one casually, but maybe not ceremonially, if that makes sense. Your thoughts?
A nice watch would be good. Stuff like Oakley's,gloves,slings, PMAGs, OTIS kits, and all that should be more pre deployment because hes gonna get CTAP issue which has all that stuff(not PMAGS), soo buying nomex gloves and oakleys now is just wasting money.
I say, get him something like a nice watch like the Gshock(Ive got one on as I type this) and a copy of Dave Grossman's On Combat. Besides being a awesome book, it's on the reading list and will get him a "good onyah" from any NCO's over him. It all starts in the mind, and sadly most Marines arnt really in the game upstairs.
If you really wanna go all out on a watch, get him a Casio or Sunnto with GPS.
As far as wanting a "Marine Cool" gift, most Marines don't care THAT much about their job to spend their little pfc money on "high speed" gear and are quick to throw the "gear queer" jab around like a frizzbee.
A pocket watch, a nice watch (doesn't have to be a $5000 Bell & Ross or the like), a bottle of single malt whiskey, things like that. They all get better with age and are things that right now might not seem like a great gift but your son is making the transition to a young man and eventually he will treasure a gift like that. Just my 2 cents (and my exeperience as my father gave me a nice watch when I commissioned). Good luck with your search and congratulations.
In keeping with the manly theme a solid folder may be cool, certainly much more useful than a seldom carried fixed. I have a much traveled Strider folder issued.. but those cost about the same as a pistol. Saw a solid looking ZeroTolerance 0302 other day, if I was paying for it i'd get one, around two bills.
Maybe you could have the EGA laser engraved on one side & name
http://www.kershaw-knives.net/laser-engraving.htm
When my brother came home from Iraq (2/2 Warlords USMC) I got him a brand new Springfield Amory Loaded 1911. I realize I should have gotten him a Glock but it is what it is. He wont part with it for anything and makes me proud to have been able to give my biggest hero something, anything. God bless you and your son, sir.
Bill Bryant
08-27-10, 16:34
God bless you and your son, sir.Thank you, Ryan.
What about the Traser watch for the cool factor and a G-shock for actual work?
RogerinTPA
08-27-10, 16:46
Congrats to your son Bill.
As far as a gift, a practical durable watch would be more functional than a watch with bling, than will come later down the road. Several pairs of coyote tan mechanics gloves will serve him well and so will a BFG Vickers two point padded sling.
What about a Colt WW I Reproduction or high end 1911 with some sort of USMC emblem on some custom grips that can be passed on down the line.
http://www.topgunsupply.com/colt-wwi-reproduction-45acp-blue.html
Bill Bryant
08-27-10, 17:02
As far as a gift, a practical durable watch would be more functional than a watch with bling.
Roger, clarifying . . .
To you is this a functional watch or a bling watch?
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w36/ttkt57/traserP6500.jpg
I have not served in the military. So this may be off. But how much time will he have off before reporting for the next phase of training? (any?) If he has a few days off, how about a nice family trip?
Bill Bryant
08-27-10, 17:12
how about a nice family trip?We're got this covered. He has ten days leave before SOI and MOS school, and we're taking him up to Los Angeles to see the sights.
RogerinTPA
08-27-10, 18:31
Roger, clarifying . . .
To you is this a functional watch or a bling watch?
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w36/ttkt57/traserP6500.jpg
It's functional but some, as stated, have had problems with that type.
I was just playing with my watch collection a Rolex Sub, Citizen AT4 (pilot watch), Suunto Core and Casio Pathfinder. I was wondering if I was going to down range for a year or more, I'd take the Pathfinder.
Solar powered (don't need batteries), atomic self time sync in Asia, the US and Europe, 24 hr world time settings, digital compass, good to 10ATM (1 atm =33feet, 330feet or roughly 100 meters), etc...
http://www.tatedefence.com/servlet/the-2074/NEW-CASIO-PATHFINDER-WATCH/Detail
more details on the watch here:http://www.casio.com/products/archive/Timepiece/Pathfinder/PAW1200-8V/
SeriousStudent
08-27-10, 20:10
I like the idea of the G-Shock, or other solid watch. You could always have the graduation date engraved on it, along with his platoon number from boot camp. Plus it helps identify his property if some light-fingered theft snags it.
Funny thing - I have a Seiko dive watch I bought in the Pendleton PX as a self-gift when I graduated from grunt school. Decades later, it still runs. Being a casual Friday, I wore it to work today. :D
That Zero Tolerance folder mentioned by our NSW friend is really nice, too. Very solid, and a good value for the money. Strider folders are really nice, but start around $300.
Congrats to you and him - you have raised a fine young man. May his service bring pride and honor to him and our nation.
time with his hometown plaything with bouncies..
I'm not sure what the highly regimented nature of a USMC unit would permit, regarding gear. But I wouldn't suggest a heavy pricey custom knife that could walk off & be seldom used. I think the most used items I have are: mechanix coyote colored gloves, new multitool with the clip on feature & petzl headlamps Tactikka or the new one with the seperate red LED. For the love of all things holy.. please do not buy one of the POS 3 point slings they sell in the MCRD exchange.
I think this assumes that the suggestion was meant as an idea for use while in uniform. It was/is not. I failed to grasp the OP's desire to buy a piece of kit for duty/routine use. If that's the case, I apologize.
To each his own, of course, but personally I think that passing out of MCRD is one of the biggest and most important rites of passage in a young man's life. I wouldn't commemorate it with the purchase of a $50 watch that he could pick up himself at the local Walmart or exchange.:confused: YMMcertainlyV.
Bill Bryant
08-29-10, 20:58
I have no preconceived ideas about this gift, except unfortunately that it can't be a Rolls Royce.
It could be for work. It could be for play. It could be a nice piece of gear he'd enjoy having while he stomps around with FAST company. It could be a laser engraved gold-plated Ka-Bar set in a plaque with an inscription commemorating graduation day.
I guess I was particularly hoping I would get ideas from men who themselves have graduated from USMC boot camp and who might be able to tell me what kind of a gift on such an occasion would have really meant a lot to have received from an extremely proud father.
SeriousStudent
08-29-10, 21:49
Do not cast aside the pride and respect you feel for your son as a gift. I would have loved for my parents to have attended my boot camp graduation, look me in the eye, and say how proud they were of me. It did not happen that way.
I think you are a great dad to have raised such a son. That's a rare thing these days.
I did find a nice Casio watch, when I went looking:
http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorgear/Casio-Pathfinder-PAG40-Altimeter-Watch/CAS0638M.html
You could save enough on that watch, that you could get him an engraved Ka-Bar as well.
The Suunto watches previously mentioned are also very popular.
You know you can alone get him an Apple iPod with a pre-paid iTunes account. The back can also be engraved.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_touch#
Bill Bryant
08-29-10, 22:02
Do not cast aside the pride and respect you feel for your son as a gift. I would have loved for my parents to have attended my boot camp graduation, look me in the eye, and say how proud they were of me. It did not happen that way.]My wife and I will be at his graduation if we have to crawl across Utah and Nevada to get there.
Bill Bryant
08-29-10, 22:03
I did find a nice Casio watch, when I went looking:
http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorgear/Casio-Pathfinder-PAG40-Altimeter-Watch/CAS0638M.html
Is this a "working" watch that will hold up on a FAST company deployment?
Nothing right now. The one thing he'll be happiest in the world to see will be your smiling proud face in the stands. Have a good, relaxing 10 days back at home, and then start asking what he could use after SOI.
No point abusing something nice at SOI or risk it disappearing.
Yeah, that's good idea. After the graduation, tell him that you would like to buy him something nice to commemorate his graduation and suggest that he be thinking about what he wants over the next few days while you all enjoy vacation.
Bill Bryant
08-29-10, 22:15
Nothing right now. So no cool work gear that might get lost or broken at SOI. Check. Now what about something symbolic like an engraved knife or pistol? Would a gift of that kind be lost on the bigger realities of the event, or would it enhance?
SeriousStudent
08-29-10, 22:44
My wife and I will be at his graduation if we have to crawl across Utah and Nevada to get there.
That, sir, is an awesome gift. :)
SeriousStudent
08-29-10, 22:47
Is this a "working" watch that will hold up on a FAST company deployment?
I've got a Casio G-Shock Atomic that survived Katrina. It was underwater for about 3 weeks, and salvaged from a store that was turned into a pile of rubble.
The store owner sold it to me for $20 cash. It still worked.
The case and instruction manual did not hold up so well. ;)
ThirdWatcher
08-29-10, 23:00
An Ontario OKC3S Commemorative Bayonet made for the USMC. The blade reads "Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference to the world, but the Marines don't have that problem... " - President Ronald Reagan.
When one of the Warrior Princesses married a former Marine (now active duty Army), I gave him one as a wedding present.
I believe they only made 500 of them, but they're out there. :)
Why not an M4?
If you can own one were you live(since he wont be able to have one in San Diego) get him a good M4 and maybe go take a couple of shooting classes with him after he graduates?
I know i would love to take a shooting class with my dad, i just haven't got the chance yet.
Plus after boot camp we didn't get any training to become a better shooter. Training in the Marine Corps has gotten a lot better, but i still think that there is a lot of good training being offer outside of the Marines.
plus you can make him a more proficient shooter and get him some cool training and Memories with his Father.
Bill Bryant
08-30-10, 08:13
Why not an M4?
I'll ask him if a "civilian" AR would be a nice present. We built one together before he shipped. Mostly BCM parts. A fun father-son project. He wrote me from boot camp to say that he was very glad he did this with me; he felt extremely confident and at ease around the AR platform (he could easily disassemble and assemble it with his eyes closed before he left) and felt it gave him an advantage that contributed toward his earning his crossed rifles on qualification day.
I'll ask him if a "civilian" AR would be a nice present. We built one together before he shipped. Mostly BCM parts. A fun father-son project. He wrote me from boot camp to say that he was very glad he did this with me; he felt extremely confident and at ease around the AR platform (he could easily disassemble and assemble it with his eyes closed before he left) and felt it gave him an advantage that contributed toward his earning his crossed rifles on qualification day.
That is awesome, I am sure that was a great benefit for him.
I am going to try to find the time to get my dad and younger brother to come down from NYC to take a shooting course with me, my dad loves when he comes down and we get to go to the range and put some rounds down range. I just wish they didn't live in NYC so could give him one as a gift, or like you build one together.
If you decide to get him a watch, i would recommend a SUUNTO. i have one and wouldn't trade it for anything. I have a X-LANDER aluminum body and it is awesome.
I looked at the price tag on one of those. You and my son must have grown up in different zip codes. That's out of my league.
I don't mean for it to be "that" watch... I was only saying/agreeing with a previous post that a good watch would be an awesome gift.
I hope you did not take offence to my mentioning of a particular exnecive brand.
A watch is just a nice traditional way to commemorate a momentus occasion. And getting one that will work for years and years is a great way for your son to have something on his person that will remind him of how proud you and your wife were of him on that day.
Is getting him a nice firearm a good gift? Sure, but will it bring the same feeling to him when he takes it out of the same a few times a month? Doubt it. This is on his wrist and everytime he looks over he can be reminded of the day he graduated and how proud his parents were of him. Same as I do.
Bill Bryant
08-30-10, 09:16
I hope you did not take offence to my mentioning of a particular exnecive brand.No offense taken at all. If I had the budget for such a treasure I would get him that very watch. It looks like the ideal graduation gift.
No offense taken at all. If I had the budget for such a treasure I would get him that very watch. It looks like the ideal graduation gift.
Okay, just making sure... I don't want to come across as a pompus a-hole.
Either way, congrats to your son and you and I hope he stays safe.
Congartulations. Your thought re a watch are well founded. May I suggest that Seiko makes some very nice automatic watches that would be perfect for the occasion.
If you go to the MWR watch forum in the post exchange, Harold NG under the name of Yobokies, sell some great modified Seikos. He changes dials, hands etc and creates a more unique looking watch with the great Seiko internals. His pricing is good, communication excellent and shipping reasonable and timely considering he is in Hong Kong.
I own one of his watches and am quite pleased as are 2 of my buddies who ordered after me. His shipping time is 14 days max and he responds to emails within 12-24 hrs max.
yobokies@yahoo.com.hk
http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t208/yobokies/?start=all
When my son graduated I gave him an original mint wood-handled Gerber Paul Knife. He still has it and only carries it on "special" days; like his college graduation, first day on his first degreed job, etc.
But I wasn't into AR's when he was in the USMC. I got into them about 2-years after he got out. When I bought my first AR, I wanted him to show me how to disassemble and maintain it since he was trained. So, I waited for him to come home for Christmas.
I was pretty disappointed. He knew "what" to do but not why he was doing it. He just knew the "motions". He mostly did convoys and such in the Corp, although he carried a Rifle, he said he seldom shot one and knew very little other than what he learned in boot camp and range time.
It kind of makes me sad that if he had got into the thick of it in Iraq, he would have just been a "guy with a gun". Maybe the guys on the ground get more training, and he was in on some "raids" but from what I understand, for the most part, he was either driving or being driven.
So, with all of that said, I liked the idea of an AR and/or maybe some combat training or at least some local AR "expert" giving him a hands-on rundown of how, what, and why specifics about AR's, M-9's, etc.?
It still hurts my heart sometimes thinking about how ignorant he was over there...
God Speed to your son and y'all traveling.
Bill Bryant
08-30-10, 13:16
I was pretty disappointed. He knew "what" to do but not why he was doing it. He just knew the "motions". He mostly did convoys and such in the Corp, although he carried a Rifle, he said he seldom shot one and knew very little other than what he learned in boot camp and range time.I wonder how it will be for my son in FAST company. What was your son's MOS?
I wonder how it will be for my son in FAST company. What was your son's MOS?
=========================
He was recruited as a "cryptic linguist" but being the bright but motivationally challenged like he was (is), he did "just enough to get by". When the war broke out, "poof" that wasn't good enough. He went to some field training in the Carolina's and off to Iraq.
He was in "motor transport" doing supply, convoys, etc.
I like to know how and why things work but I just was disappointed he didn't have more "intimate" knowledge of his weapon.
When he was off to Iraq, I tried to give him a pistol to take but it was too late. Supposedly, they put all their personal "stuff" in a Connex and ship it over there a few weeks before they leave. He said he could have brought a personal weapon but it had to get packed in that Connex and I missed that chance. A handgun as a gift would be something neat to say years later, "My Dad gave me that and I carried it amongst the Afghans." But a theft could mess up that plan plus he couldn't have personal weapons on base, if I remember right.
.
ThirdWatcher
08-31-10, 05:07
Another Suggestion: a Victorinox One-Hand Trekker German Army LockBlade 54876 with his name engraved on it. I bought that very knife for the Warrior Princesses and they've found it very useful over the years. (There are several vendors, but I bought theirs from these folks: http://www.swissknivesexpress.com/ontrgear.html) :)
I wonder how it will be for my son in FAST company. What was your son's MOS?
he is going to get pretty good training when he get's there, i have worked with a couple of the Instructors from the CQB school(cant remember the name of the base) for the marine corps in VA. i believe the school he is going to attend should be around the same location, they will go more into practical and fast pace shooting.
decodeddiesel
08-31-10, 10:11
The best thing you can give him?
Your respect and admiration. Everything else is just stuff.
Bill Bryant
08-31-10, 11:22
The best thing you can give him?
Your respect and admiration. Everything else is just stuff.Indeed. But sometimes "stuff" can be imbued with deep significance, can in fact convey and embody the very respect and admiration to which you refer and which I have given my son in great abundance but so far without a token specific to his USMC graduation.
What are wedding rings, medals, ceremonial swords, etc., if not a physical embodiment of the intangible significance they symbolize?
It isn't either "stuff" or admiration. They can be fused inseparably, sacramentally almost, in certain gifts. IMO YMMV :)
Love and admiration are great, no argument, but they don't help one tell you if you're on time for that last cab back to barracks or get that MRE bag open, no matter how hard you wave them. :D
Concur regarding an upper-end Casio or Suunto watch. The Vector and Core models are durable as hell. I only know one bloke that broke a Vector, but he fell off a mountain and busted all kinds of biological and non-biological stuff. Highgear isn't bad, either.
Same, regarding a good knife or multi-tool. Lots of possibilities.
I may have missed it in the thread, but how about a decent GPS receiver? One of those wrist-mounted Garmin Foreruner variants, or any of the eTrex variants. So long as it's capable of showing MGRS coordinates, there's very few jobs within the combat or combat-support arms in which one of those isn't useful.
Hell, you could go so far as to buy 3 each long- and short-sleeve Creightons in his size (khaki Service Uniform shirts). The shirts in the initial-seabag draw are just terrible.
theblackknight
08-31-10, 17:48
When my son graduated I gave him an original mint wood-handled Gerber Paul Knife. He still has it and only carries it on "special" days; like his college graduation, first day on his first degreed job, etc.
But I wasn't into AR's when he was in the USMC. I got into them about 2-years after he got out. When I bought my first AR, I wanted him to show me how to disassemble and maintain it since he was trained. So, I waited for him to come home for Christmas.
I was pretty disappointed. He knew "what" to do but not why he was doing it. He just knew the "motions". He mostly did convoys and such in the Corp, although he carried a Rifle, he said he seldom shot one and knew very little other than what he learned in boot camp and range time.
It kind of makes me sad that if he had got into the thick of it in Iraq, he would have just been a "guy with a gun". Maybe the guys on the ground get more training, and he was in on some "raids" but from what I understand, for the most part, he was either driving or being driven.
So, with all of that said, I liked the idea of an AR and/or maybe some combat training or at least some local AR "expert" giving him a hands-on rundown of how, what, and why specifics about AR's, M-9's, etc.?
It still hurts my heart sometimes thinking about how ignorant he was over there...
God Speed to your son and y'all traveling.
This is how 85% of the USMC is. The mountain of logistical red tape bullshit means that your tax dollars have Marines surfing google and playing COD instead of training. Your welcome:(
Fast platoon Marines get awesome training. I coached a range last week and had a sgt from FAST at Dam Neck. He said they had moving steel and paper targets and shot soo much it was almost TOO much. Why did I have to pick a pog MOS and be responsible:confused:
Bill Bryant
08-31-10, 17:54
Fast platoon Marines get awesome training. This is music to this dad's ears.
This is how 85% of the USMC is. The mountain of logistical red tape bullshit means that your tax dollars have Marines surfing google and playing COD instead of training. Your welcome:(
Don't forget the weeks worth of mandatory and worthless EO, BST, SACO, Suicide awareness training... Enough about the dearth of practical training.
Something ceremonial and shiny is definitely an option.
Something everyday practical (watch, pocket knife, etc.)
A small ceremonial item would be awesome as a surprise, but input might be the most valuable.
I'd say a foretrex is a fantastic predeployment item - though many battalions pick those up (2/2 did that, great decision. My Bn bought huge rucks for our head shed/fobbits) - I'd wait, and see how much better they get.
A good sling could fit the same bill, as would any of the common electronic items that are most underrated (iPods, External hard Drives, PSPs, netbooks, and mostly Pelican Cases for the above) for predeployment.
@ucrt - how did he not pan out as a 267X?
Bill Bryant
08-31-10, 19:49
@ucrt - how did he not pan out as a 267X?What does this mean?
I coached a range last week and had a sgt from FAST at Dam Neck. He said they had moving steel and paper targets and shot soo much it was almost TOO much. Why did I have to pick a pog MOS and be responsible:confused:
Because some cake-eater gave you bad scoop, pre-Corps, on what constitutes "responsible."
I work with the former FAST guy that was in charge of getting that range installed and running. Helluva shooter; I practice WAY more than he does, but he got the right kind of training early on and became an instructor at their CQB school. When we practice together, the cloud of "smug" over that guys' head is thick enough to chew. :laugh:
...
@ucrt - how did he not pan out as a 267X?
========================
He got all the clearances, made it to Fort Ord (If I remember correctly) but there was just too much "cool" stuff to do besides study. He was always seeing the sights, volunteering for a car auction, Golf Tournament, etc. and just did just enough learning of his arabic to "get by" until the war escalated. The USMC raised the bar and he was on the low side... Motor Transport.
He has regretted missing that opportunity so much since then, that 5 months ago, he signed up with Ga. Tech for a 3-month class in Arabic...in Morocco??? Quit his job and went to see if he "could" have done it. Came back last month but he gets "tested" next month to see if gets the grade. We'll see...
Oh well..."some people's kids..." :smile:
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